Redskins coach Mike Shanahan just turned 58 years old on Tuesday. For 17 of those years, he has been an NFL head coach. And in the ongoing battle of wills with $100 million nose tackle Albert Haynesworth, Shanahan's experience carries a lot of weight.

Take it from former Steelers coach Bill Cowher, who led his team to victory in Super Bowl 40. Cowher, now an analyst for CBS, told Sporting News that Shanahan is taking the correct stance in the situation.

"Mike is doing what he needs to do and handling it real well," Cowher said Tuesday. "As a new coach there, he has to take the rest of his players into consideration."

Haynesworth is the Redskins' biggest physical presence and integral to their defensive success, but Shanahan never has put one player above all.

"It's more than just about reaching an individual," Cowher said. "He's sending a good message to the team."

Haynesworth hasn't seen eye-to-eye with Shanahan since the coach was hired Jan. 5. It started with the new coaching staff's desire to change the Redskins' defensive scheme from a 4-3 front to a 3-4 system. That meant Haynesworth would move from defensive tackle to nose tackle, a change he mostly has resisted.

In protest, Haynesworth skipped all of the Redskins' spring practices and workouts and then the June minicamp, incurring $10,000 in fines. That prompted rumors that Washington GM Bruce Allen might trade Haynesworth, and Haynesworth's boycott also drew harsh criticism from retired Redskins players.

The soap opera continued July 29, when Haynesworth failed his first conditioning test. After taking several more days off, Haynesworth, in fear of being placed on the physically unable to perform list, reattempted and passed the test Aug. 7.

And just as Haynesworth was coming around on the idea of playing nose tackle and occasionally end in new coordinator Jim Haslett's 3-4 scheme, Haynesworth started vocalizing his frustration for having to play with the second-string defense in practice and preseason games.

Last week, heat exhaustion was cited as a reason for Haynesworth to sit out some practices but he was healthy enough to play Saturday night vs. Baltimore. He looked good enough on the field, recording a sack of Ravens quarterback Troy Smith in the fourth quarter.

On Sunday, Haynesworth revealed that he had been diagnosed with a muscle condition called rhabdomyolysis, which if it spreads to the bloodstream can cause kidney failure. Although his ability to play Saturday should have meant the illness no longer was an issue, Haynesworth called out Shanahan for underplaying its severity.

There's no doubt a healthy, happy Haynesworth would be a huge asset to the Redskins' defense, and his teammates hope the focus soon returns to the field.